Office of Naval Research - National Transportation Library

operated on a 7-day cycle around the Gulf of Mexico, using boom cranes to load anddischarge containers, transporting finished manufactured goods and building supplies to andfrom ports in Houston, New Orleans, Tampa, and other cities. 21 The 13.5-knot speed of theSea Trader made the move about half the time of a tug-and-barge service. The faster speedallowed Osprey to compete with trucking along the Houston-Tampa routes because of thetruckers’ difficulty of finding drivers and the undesirability of the route for truckers (a longdistanceroute that required multiple transit days and had no backhaul loads.) Declining railservice in the corridor, and capacity shortage at the Port of Houston due to large influxes ofinternational cargo also contributed to the initial success of the Sea Trader service that shiftsome traffic to Osprey. (Figure 15)Figure 15 - Sea Trader, Osprey LineSource: GAO Report, 2005.Though initially the service attracted enough business to cover most of its operating expensesand offer truck competitive prices, the service had operated below full capacity. 22 OspreyLine has since discontinued the Sea Trader service, but continues to provide weekly COBand LoLo container on barge service with scheduled services 23 (Figure 15), on its AmericanHeartland Corridor service via the Mississippi River from the Gulf Intracoastal (Houston,Lake Charles, New Orleans, Mobile, and Pascagoula) to Memphis and Chicago. (Figure 16)21 A 7-day cycle means that the vessel returns to its port of origin every 7 days. A shipper moving goods fromHouston to Tampa, for example could make one shipment every 7 days on this service.22 GAO, “Freight Transportation: Short Sea Shipping Option Shows Importance of Systematic Approach toPublic Investment Decisions,” July 2005.23 Kirby Marine purchased majority holding in Osprey. Osprey’s founder formed a new Coach Line, and isplanning on purchases of four new 125 FEU, 13.5 know containerships to operate on the coastal and Gulfmarkets.ONR SSS Final Report 26